On Wednesday, February 22, bestselling author Joel Bakan visited the Upper School to give a lecture as part of the Speaker Series.

Bakan is the internationally bestselling author of “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power,” which inspired the acclaimed documentary of the same name; this documentary has won several awards, including the best documentary award at the Sundance Film Festival. His newest book, titled “Childhood Under Siege: How Big Businesses Target Children,” is also currently being adapted into a documentary.

“I try to make good films,” he said. “The Corporation is a film that is fun to watch as well as informative. You get the feeling of real engagement from interview subjects.”

During his speech, Bakan introduced the interesting notion that we as a society have put ourselves in a contradictory place.

“On the one hand, we cherish children and place great importance on them, while on the other hand, we have allowed corporations to effectively take over childhood,” he said.

He exposed the industry known as “kid marketing,” which has grown from a $50 billion industry to a $1 trillion industry over the past 20 years.

His proposed solution? Co-regulation.

“Vigilant parenting and vigilant youth are obviously big factors, but parents can’t fix this themselves. I suggest industry, government, and consumers get together and figure out how best to go about this,” Bakan said. “It’s an important issue. It’s not just an individual issue, it’s a social issue.”